Jackie (2016) ★★★★☆

Where is the Best Picture nomination?  All from her point of view, Grief-stricken Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) recounts the events leading up to the assassination of her husband. This is captured through an interview with an unnamed journalist (Billy Crudup). You’d expect this version to strike as nothing more than a run-of-the-mill Oscar bait biopic. In fact, Jackie surprises…

Moonlight (2016) ★★★☆☆

Sticks to subtly, and veers clear of clichés.  Narrated at three different points of his life, Chiron’s story is based on growing up in a rough neighbourhood in the slums of Miami. Drugs, violence and acceptance all play a crucial role in his upbringing. Chiron’s mother, Paula (Naomie Harris) happens to be a drug addict, while…

Hacksaw Ridge (2016) ★★★★★

“Help me get one more.”  Set in World War II, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) enlists as a medic in the Army. Unlike the rest of the soldiers, and due to his own religious practices, Desmond refuses to use a weapon in battle, making him a conscientious objector. He faces a lot of opposition to his decision,…

La La Land (2016) ★★★★★

“Someone in the Crowd” could take you where you want to go.  Aspiring actress, Mia (Emma Stone), works as a barista in a coffee shop on the Warner Bros studio lot. She dreams of becoming an actress, but spends too much of her time auditioning for bad roles. Meanwhile, struggling jazz musician, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), hopes to…

Christine (2016) ★★★★☆

“In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living colour…” When News Reporter, Christine Chubbuck, committed suicide live on air, it shocked the world. It is significant that the reporter suffered from severe depression throughout her career. When she decides to change the opening of the…

A Monster Calls (2016) ★★★★☆

Tissues at the ready… 12 year old Conor O’Malley, (Lewis MacDougall) must learn to deal with the deterioration of his mother (Felicity Jones) due to terminal cancer. His only further help comes from his Grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), whom he dislikes. Friendless at school, Conor also has to deal with bullies. He soon confides in the Tree Monster (Liam Neeson) who pays…

Nocturnal Animals (2016) ★★★★★

“My Husband used to call me a Nocturnal Animal…”  Art gallery owner, Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) lies in a loveless marriage with husband Hutton (Armie Hammer), but is troubled due to past events with her first husband, Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal). When he sends her his unpublished novel, of which he has dedicated to her, Susan…

Finding Dory (2016) ★★☆☆☆

Not Pixar’s best fish in the sea…  Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) lost her parents since she was a young fish. Now, she lives with clownfish Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his son, Nemo (Hayden Rolence). Sooner or later, Dory loses her clownfish friends too, and decides to search for her real parents. Marlin and Nemo must go on the search for Dory…will they…

Top Ten: Underrated Films

Here are ten films that I like but aren’t so popular with the mainstream. These films tend not to get noticed, despite how wonderful they actually are. I could list many, but I selected a few which come to mind as of late. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below! Do you agree with my choices? 10. Like Sunday, Like…

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) ★★★★☆

“A single crash of Cymbals and how it rocked the lives of an American family.” Revamping his 1934 thriller into an exotic, suspenseful adventure, Hitchcock makes excellent use of location, stunning chemistry between Doris Day and James Stewart, and the sharp story of what appears to be an average man, drawn into an assassination plot. “The Man Who Knew Too…